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Azhelle Wade went from doll design intern to VP of Brand & Product before founding The Toy Coach. At Toys"R"Us she ran a $20 million crafts line and led product design for all its private label girls brands. She holds three patents, an FIT toy design degree, an ASTRA board seat, and three Mojo 100 honors. As The Toy Coach she's consulted for National Geographic, NBC, Hasbro, and Rigamajig, and coached 250+ creators whose products have licensed to Mattel and landed in Target, Walmart, and Kohl's. In 2026 she founded Forge & Wade, the software company behind Toy Matchmaker.
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Azhelle Wade is a toy industry expert, three-time patented inventor, and the Founder and CEO of The Toy Coach, where she helps independent creators and established brands turn toy and game ideas into products that sell.
She started her career as a doll design intern and left corporate eleven years later as a VP. In between, she held product development and design roles at Horizon Group USA, Blumenthal Lansing, Toys"R"Us, and Creative Kids. At Toys"R"Us she ran the $20 million Totally Me! arts and crafts line, growing it 4.8% in the US and 3% globally, and led design development for the retailer's entire portfolio of private label girls brands, including Journey Girls, You & Me, and Just Like Home. A Journey Girls set she designed earned the 2016 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal. She holds three U.S. patents and a BFA in Toy Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Azhelle founded The Toy Coach in 2020 to make the toy industry navigable for people who don't come into it with an industry rolodex. More than 250 creators and brands have come through Toy Creators Academy, her flagship toy business program, and through 1:1 consulting she has worked with National Geographic, NBC, Hasbro, Cas Holman's Rigamajig, and BDA Inc.
Her clients' results are the proof she points to first. Samantha Ong grew Joey Dolls into a multi six figure company and pitched investors on Dragons' Den. Brandon Braswell funded his 9 to 5 Warriors action figure line on Kickstarter and placed it in dozens of specialty stores. Joanna Paul licensed her plush invention, Whatsitsface, into Walmart and Kohl's. Chrissy Fagerholt sold her own game to Target and licensed another with Mattel.
Alongside her coaching work, Azhelle runs The Toy Coach Showcase, the TCA Virtual Pitch Event connecting inventors directly with toy companies, and Making It In The Toy Industry, her podcast, which has passed 166,000 downloads with a 4.9 star average. She served on the board of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association from 2021 to 2024.
Her expertise has been featured on NBC's Access Daily, On Brand with Jimmy Fallon, The History Channel's The Toys That Built America, Forbes, and Essence. She has been honored with the TAGIE Game Changer Award and the Women In Toys Wonder Woman Storyteller Award, named to the Mojo 100 three times, and in 2026 was named a Women In Toys finalist for Emerging Technology Leader.
In 2026 she founded Forge & Wade, a software company building intelligent tools that help businesses grow. Its first product, Toy Matchmaker, uses AI to connect independent toy brands with the retail buyers most likely to stock them.
Azhelle's work is built on one idea: the toy industry should be open to creative people from every walk of life. With the right strategy, connections, and industry knowledge, anyone can Make It Toyetic®.
Media Features & Awards
On Brand with Jimmy Fallon: Watch The Toy Coach on this show
Kidscreen: Quoted industry expert in “Can today’s hot collectibles be the franchises of tomorrow?”
Essence: No Child's Play: This Toy Coach Is Teaching Black Women How To Cash In On The Gaming Industry
Newsbreak: What Does A Toy Coach Do? Azhelle Wade Explains
The Current:From Barbie to Squishmallows, the toy industry is reinventing itself for a digital age
Forbes:Women In Toys Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of Creating Allyship, Uplifting Women, Pushing Barriers
The Bloom Report:TAGIE GAME CHANGER: Azhelle Wade
The Toy Association:Genius of Play Ambassador Spotlight: The Toy Coach’s Azhelle Wade
Making Your Business “Toyetic” with Toy Designer, Azhelle Wade by Shannon Mattern
AnB Media:The Toy Coach: Seven Secrets to a Successful Online Toy Pitch
CNN:AI-powered children’s toys are here, but are they safe? by Auzinea Bacon
On Brand with Jimmy Fallon (1 of 10 Creatives)
Hosted, executive produced and created by Jimmy Fallon, Azhelle is 1 of 10 creatives to think out of the box and reimagine marketing in the modern age.
The History Channel’s The Toys That Built America
Clip feature from Season 1 of The Toys That Built America, Episode 1 Masters of Invention. Azhelle aka The Toy Coach is featured as an industry expert on the series to talk about toy inventors and titan toy companies throughout history.
Cheddar News
Azhelle Wade, AKA The Toy Coach, explains why kids and parents are so excited about comfort and wellness-focused toys and toys that blend reality with the metaverse.
The Marie Forleo Podcast and MarieTV
Azhelle aka The Toy Coach joins Marie Forelo to chat about how she created and managed multi-million dollar toy brands throughout her toy industry career.
NBC’s Access Daily
Azhelle aka The Toy Coach frequently joins the cast of NBC’s Access Daily to share toy industry insights, introduce kid entrepreneurs and so much more! Tap the button below to see The Toy Coach join Kit Hoover and Scott Evans for a fun holiday toy segment. Azhelle highlights her top holiday toy picks which also focus on diversity and inclusion.
Women In Toys 2022 Wonder Woman Award, Storyteller
The STORYTELLER Award recognizes an individual for her ability to create engaging content or visuals that become powerful stories, whether an influencer, ad exec, content creator, writer, illustrator, or animator.
Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield
The Toy Coach joins online marketing expert, Amy Porterfield to share her journey of building Toy Creators Academy from her 10 years of toy industry knowledge.
Podcast Magazine | Featured Cover Story: Making It In The Toy Industry | P. 44
Azhelle Wade aka The Toy Coach went beyond the microphone in an incredible interview about the vision that pushed her to leave her 9-5 to help aspiring toy inventors and entrepreneurs with her podcast, Making It In The Toy Industry with The Toy Coach.
BL Perspectives
Azhelle joins a Box Lunch panel hosted by Albert Lawrence to discuss topics starting with Race in Pop Culture, sparking critical conversations long after each episode ends.
“Making Toys & Breaking Rules” in The Toy Book
inventRight TV “How To Become A Toy Designer”
Azhelle joins Stephen Key for an interview on inventRightTV to share her experience and advice on how aspiring toy people can break into the wonderful world of toys.
Hire As A Speaker.
Links To Share.
The Podcast
Making It In The Toy Industry
🔗 http://www.thetoycoach.com/podcast
A podcast filled with actionable tips and toy-spirational advice for aspiring toy inventors and entrepreneurs. Let’s make it toyetic!
The Course
Toy Creators Academy
The first-of-its-kind online program for developing and launching your toy idea. The perfect course for toy inventors and entrepreneurs to learn my proven techniques to develop and launch your best toy ideas yet.
On Social Media
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Approved Photos.
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Credit: Christian Castro
IG: @castro.psd
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Credit: Christian Castro
IG: @castro.psd
Credit: Christian Castro
IG: @castro.psd